A monthly selection of the best new research and resources on local peacebuilding worldwide, as chosen by Insight on Conflict. This month’s edition features case studies on peacebuilding evaluation, an overview of peacebuilding activities in Iraq, and more. To receive the email newsletter each month sign-up hereResearch this monthSearching for Peace in Iraq"Searching for Peace in Iraq" (pdf)provides a comprehensive overview of the drivers of the conflict in Iraq. The paper also gives an assesment of local and international peacebuildng efforts in the country.Contextualizing peacebuilding activities to local circumstancesContextualizing peacebuilding activities to local circumstances, a project of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), looks at how local ownership and effectivness of peacebuliding can be improved. This project uses South Sudan (pdf), Haiti (pdf) and Liberia (pdf)as case studies.People's Peacemaking Perspectives: LebanonThe latest policy brief (pdf) from the People's Peacemaking Perspectivesproject focuses on Lebanon. This joint project from Conciliation Resources and Saferworld seeks to provide EU institutions with conflict analysis based on the voices and experiences of local people.Proof of Concept - Learning from Nine Examples of Peacebuilding EvaluationProof of Concept (pdf)summarises the key findings and themes of the "Peacebuilding Evaluation: Evidence Summit" hosted by USIP and the Alliance for Peacebuilding in December 2011. The report includes nine case studies on peacebuilding evaluation which were presented on the day.Improving security and justice through local/non-state actorsImproving security and justice through local/non-state actorsexamines the challenges and opportunites for including non-state and local actors in justice and security. The study uses Colombia, DR Congo and Burundi as case studies. The study finds that in all three cases there is a place for local actors, however, there a number of key challenges which must be overcome.From the blogKashmir: Trading for peace across the line of controlA video report from Ashima Kaul, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent for Kashmir, on how cross border trade is promoting peace in the disputed region. Read More »What happens next in Nepal?Ambika Pokhrel, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent for Nepal, reports on the failure of Nepal’s Constituent Assembly to declare a new constitution. For four years the Assembly has tried and failed to deliver a new constitution for Nepal. With it’s authority expiring on 27 May, an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty has descended on the country. Read More »New Silk Road: stabilising Afghanistan post-2014Mariam Safi, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent for Afghanistan, looks at how the revival of the country’s ancient role as a trade and transport hub for South and Central Asia can contribute to a stable and prosperous Afghanistan. Read More »Institute of Medicine ‘violence as a contagion’ workshopJosh Gryniewich, from Ceasefire Chicago, reports on a recent conference by Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences. The two-day Workshop on the Contagion of Violence brought together more than two dozen thinkers, academics, scientists, and practitioners in a diverse array of disciplines to discuss different forms of violence as “different manifestations of the same disease.” Read More »Searching for peace in Iraq: a research projectBenoite Martin, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent for Iraq discusses, ‘Searching for Peace in Iraq,’ a new study on peacebuilding in Iraq. 'Searching for Peace in Iraq' presents a comprehensive analysis of the key drivers of the conflict and an assessment of the national and international efforts which currently address the on-going conflict and violence in the country. Read More »Islamabad Peace ExchangeZahid Shahab Ahmed, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent for Pakistan, reports on a recent conference. In April, the Islamabad Peace Exchange brought together 20 peacebuilding organisations from across Pakistan for three days of capacity-building, collaboration and networking. Read More »The invisible genius of KONY 2012Annabel Smith, a teacher and community educator, discusses the Kony 2012 campaign. Arguing that, despite the many flaws of both the campaign and organisation, it has given us a reason to be proud of our young people. Read More »Bosnia 20 years on: remembrance but not reconciliationMirjana Kosić and Ian Bancroft from TransConflict – a peacebuilding organisation based in the Western Balkans – examine obstacles to reconciliation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Twenty years on from the start of the war, the country is struggling to move towards the sort of reconciliation necessary to transcend the country’s persistent ethnic divisions. Read More »Blood bath in BalochistanMubashir, Director of PINFO, an Pakistan-based information management organisation, discusses insecurity in Balochistan. Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province, and is subject to much violence, conflict and insecurity. Pakistan’s Supreme Court recently held a hearing to look at the situation. Read More »Young Nigerians illustrate life beyond war'Dialogue in Nigeria: Muslims & Christians Creating Their Future' is a new documentary which follows 200 young Nigerians who took part in the 2010 International Conference on Youth and Interfaith Communication. The film’s creators, Libby and Len Trauman, explain the motivations behind the project. Read more »See More

This video originally appeared on Insight on Conflict, the leading online resource on local peacebuilding in conflict zones.A video report from Ashima Kaul, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent for Kashmir, on how cross border trade is promoting peace in the disputed region. See More